Keeper of the Lost Cities: Legacy (My Version)
by SophitzShipper
Summary: After the end of Flashback, Sophie's relationship with Fitz is complicated - and the Black Swan is fidgety, because they know they'll have to tell her the names of her biological parents. But with all the matchmaking drama going on, the Neverseen are able to plan their next attack without worrying about being caught - and Sophie's friends aren't prepared when they strike. (Book 8)
1. Chapter 1

"Rough," Grady said when she got home – but he didn't seem too disappointed.

Edaline glared at him. "Sophie, please go upstairs. Your father and I need to have a talk."

Sophie nodded. "Yes, E – mom." The slip made her sound like she was saying "e-mom", like "e-mail" or "e-book".

Edaline understood though. Sophie ran up to her room, and immediately tried transmitting to Fitz.

She had to tell him – what was she going to say otherwise?

Fitz responded to her immediately.

_Yes, Sophie?_

_Edaline took me to register for matchmaking._

_I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT! I knew you'd make the right decision. Did you look at your packets?_

_Um, Fitz…_

_That's alright, you've not had time to. But I'm _so _happy you did this! As soon as you're old enough and all that, I'll get my lists at the same time as you get yours._

_Fitz…_

_Oh, don't think I'm pressuring you into getting the list. But if you do, I'm coming with you – I don't even care about the whispering. Or everything they'll have to say about the Moonlark and my brother and –_

_FITZ!_

_What?!_

_I didn't even _get_ a packet._

_Umm… you were supposed to._

_If I was normal. But I'm not. Not knowing my genetic parents… _complicates _things. And…_

She could practically feel Fitz's mouth go dry. _Complicates things how?_

_It said…_

_Spill it, Sophie! You can tell me anything._

_Maybe not this._

_Yes, you can! Don't you trust me?_

_Yes._

_Then, please, Sophie. Tell me._

_I'm not matchable._

_What?!_

_It must have to do with my birthparents. Or birthplace. Or any of the other weird humany things about me. Or maybe they just don't want me spilling brown-eyed genes into the world._

_Ugh. I swear, if it's that…_

_So, Fitz? I just want to know what you think about… well, this whole thing we have going. This kind of ends it, right?_

_No, of course not! We're pushing until you can get those lists. And if you can't, then I'm just never going to date anyone._

Clearly, "bad match" wasn't in Vacker vocabulary unless it was about someone else.

That huge family?

Fitz probably would have every single person on his match list bragging forever.

Biana too.

Anyone matched with Sophie would probably black out her name on their list with the elf equivalent of sharpie and pretend it wasn't there.

And that was if she ever got a list at all.

A shouting match was beginning downstairs – and she let Fitz her the parts of it she could hear.

"YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN FINE… WELL IT'S NOT KEEFE… YOU'D THINK…"

"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SET… FOR THIS KIND OF THING… RULES COUNT, EDALINE!"

_Okay. Wow. Grady does _not_ like me._

_He just doesn't like that you like me._

_Or that you like me._

_Yeah. That too._

There was a silent moment, and Sophie was sure Fitz had disconnected until he transmitted, _Sophie?_

_Yes, Fitz?_

_I am strangling Mr. Forkle tomorrow until he tells us your biological parents' names._

Sophie smiled. Later, when they said good night, Sophie surrendered to sleep while dreams of an angry Fitz yelling at Mr. Forkle filled her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Edaline was doing her best to give really nice, comforting smiles – but only managed to annoy Sophie.

Grady wouldn't stop mumbling about "That Boy" – who was usually Keefe, so Sophie decided to mention it.

"Yeah, well that's when Keefe was the problem."

Sophie sighed. "Fitz isn't a _problem_. The _problem_ is you don't want me to grow up!"

"The _problem_ is you could be focusing on important things like _stopping the Neverseen_, and you're all caught up in normal teenage drama!"

"Or maybe I'm trying to be a normal teenage girl!"

"Either way, have you checked with his parents? Or sister? Or _your_ parents, for that matter? Speaking of your parents, you two could be _related_! You don't even know who your real mom and dad are –"

Sophie thought Edaline had stopped him, but really he had just seen something out the window.

Sparking flames.

Long, controlled waves.

A thick black strand weaving itself around both elements, strapping them together.

_Again_.

"I've got to go stop that," Sophie mumbled, heading outside.

Three and a half years in the Lost Cities and walking outside wearing sparkly dresses still wasn't exactly comfortable – unless she was trying to impress somebody. Plus, she'd woken up so early, she'd actually listened to Vertina about her hair and makeup – which Grady had _lots_ of suspicions about. But Edaline was just happy.

Still.

"St_o_p!" Sophie complained. All three heads turned to her.

"I know you think it looks cool, but it freaks me out seriously. And Grady. And Edaline. Seriously… and before you say our property has the open-est space not surrounded by too much security, remember you freak us out every time we see that through our window, we think the Neverseen are here."

Tam released the shadowflux. "Sorry."

Linh and Marella quickly followed, though Marella's was already almost gone – when Linh and Marella did this, the only thing keeping the water from dousing the fire was the thick darkness Tam liked to string around it.

It looked amazing.

It freaked Sophie out.

"Go play your cool games somewhere else," Sophie groaned, walking back inside.

"It was Tam, Linh, and Marella again," she explained to her worried parents. "I told them not to do it on our property anymore."

"It's a cool game, it just… it reminds me of all those times the Neverseen attacked you," Edaline said. She was wearing flashback eyes.

_Sophie…_

_Sophie…_

_SOPHIE!_

_What?!_ Sophie transmitted. It was Fitz – he was still working on getting her attention through transmitting.

_Hi. I was testing the transmitting thing._

_Can you tell me that thing you say to get my mind to let you in?_

_No can do._

_But last time you said you'd tell me if I told you that big secret I was hiding. Secret's out. Now what's the password?!_

_What was the secret?_

_MY CRUSH, SILLY!_

_Oh. That explains the… hesitation._

_NOW WHAT DO YOU SAY?_

_Just, "It's me."_

Sophie gave her parents the 1-minute finger and ran upstairs to her room while transmitting, _Really? That's it? Just, "It's me"?_

_Yeah._

_Wow. How's it going with Mr. Forkle?_

_Oh, I squeezed your mom's name out of him earlier. That's the good news._

_REALLY? YES!_

_The bad news is he doesn't know who the dad is._

_HE DOESN'T _KNOW_?_

_Yeah. Only the mom knows._

_WHO'S THE MOM?_

_You're louder and more persistent than Silveny. Quiet down._

_Who. Is. It?_

_Juline._

_Juline _who_?_

_Dizznee._

_DEX'S MOM?!_

_Yeah…_

_If I had known that a few months ago, rejecting Dex would have been a lot easier._

_Yeah, it would've!_

_Well? Are we going to ask who the dad is?_

_Let's get Dex to do it._

So Sophie transmitted as loud as she could to Dex, _GET YOUR MOTHER! AND DON'T STOP YELLING AT HER TILL SHE CHOKES UP MY BIOLOGICAL DAD'S NAME!_


End file.
